"Orbis Romanus" to be screened at Millsaps College, Oct 8th at 7pm.....

The first Jackson public screening of "Orbis" will be presented by Milsaps College, 1701 N State St ... Academic Complex 215....in Jackson on October 8th at 7pm...limited seating is available so get there early ...ph 601-974-1000

After the film there will be an audience Q and A interchange with the actors and the screenwriter...Then...AFTER the Millsaps screening...the public is invited to a cast after-party and second live screening of "Orbis Romanus" at 9pm at Pi(e) Lounge...inside Sal and Mookies in Fondren....

Both events are free to the public.

A successful first screening on August 7th

The first screening on August 7th was a success...we were part of the Indie Fest at State Theatre in Starkville...not a competition...but rather a showcase of Mississippi film-makers...16 films were shown...

Heather Thurgood / The See-ress...... David Allen Cruz / Vespa ...Edward Saint Pe' / Saturius and Lois Lovelady, Associate Producer were among the many in attendance...

We had a full house ...and at the end of the showcase when Orbis hit the screen ...and again after the showing...we had enthusiastic applause...it was a special moment for me...

Orbis Romanus ...August 7th first Screening at State Theatre in Starkville, MS as part of the Mississipi Indie Fest

Orbis Romanus...December '07 dress rehersal in the Germainian forest of Brandon

we have "Picture Lock"...no more changes...and the sound is at Sam Watson's....he will EQ it and Mix...also add more foley..and special sound effex...Sam did the Sound Design for "Ballast"...which WON at Sundance this year....

We should have the new sound mixed into the film by the end of this week.

New Trailer (06/24/2008)

NEW TRAILER ABOVE..

David Orr in on the edit

David Orr...an award winning film maker ....from Mississippi..who worked for years in the business in Los Angeles...is in for the second week on the final edit,,,,paring down the scenes with Zachary Howell...quicker cuts....editing dialog...

The film moves much faster now...and I am really happy with the input from David...
And am greatly indebted to him...for taking the time to lend his expertise....and Zach Howell ...thank you so much...for your effort on Orbis... their efforts have made it a much better film than it otherwise would have been...

We will post another trailer he is working on over the next few days...
While working on the edit...it's been apparent to the editors..and myself....that we had some totally in the zone acting on Orbis...David Cruz as Vespa was on his game...and Heather Thurgood...was really tip top ... I am so proud of them ...

One more week of adding Foley...and music...then Sam Watson will do the final sound mix....THEN we should be finished ...and we can start the film fest submission process...Should have the final film in house by....July 4th ...sort of poetic...

Orbis Romanus Trailer - 30sec. Edit is done...

Well...this is the day I have been looking forward to...we have a "Picture Lock"....no more changes to the edited film...tomorrow we tweak the over-all sound... and we should be able to render it out to DVD format to start sending to the various Film Fests....

What a collaborative effort making a movie is...as I've worked on assembling the cast and crew for the credits....I've realized just how many folks put their heart and soul into this film short....and what a learning experience....incredible....One thing I know now..as a father of three...with the kids all gone ...and in college...this empty nester will make movies for whatever time God the Father grants me on this earth...however ...whenever...wherever...I will Write...Act...and Direct....just find a way to make movies...it's something I've found....that needed to come out...a way to find expression...and after a long time ...seemingly bottled up...in various areas of the media...who knew ?

I will keep updating this Blog....with info on the Festivals we enter and how we do in them...and to update the next project...I'm writing it now..."working title "Gate to Valhalla"... your usual Dark Ages saga......and hope to be shooting later this Fall...maybe October or November...in the forests of Germania...I mean Brandon.

Orbis Romanus Trailer - 45sec.

Orbis film trailer posted this week...

Now that we are at the end of the edit...we will cut a short trailer and post it to the site ...should be up by Wednesday 6-11-08....

The edit looks good...we all like it...and good comments from those that have dropped by to see it...Zachary...who has been by my side on the edit for the duration... and I both now have films to enter into the film fests out there...he wrote and Directed "The Devil and Tom Walker" ...we shot it in March...he cast me in that film...I was just finished with Orbis...and rearing to go....so we plan to enter the fests together as the Mississippi contingency....wish us luck...I will post everything we enter...and how we do here on this blog...


I am in the 3rd draft of the new screenplay I have been working on...presently titled..."Gate to Valhalla"....it will be shot..I hope this Fall...and so RIGHT NOW I AM THINKING ABOUT CASTING...I plan on using my main players from Orbis in the lead roles...but we will need a "Black Warrior Elf"....so I am looking for that....and a man to play the "King of Mortal-Dom"...and 3 "Knights of Mortal-Dom"....This time I do hope to find some dwarves...since we need them for one specific scene...also an older... wise ..."Wizard of Fallingwater"...

Valhalla will be another costume drama...this one set ...in the Dark Ages...when Druids and the Elvish Warriors of the forest still lived...

Only a few tweaks left....it's done....I will keep you updated on the first film festival we enter...

Edit is done..we are tweaking it now

Zach Howell and Edward in the Edit Bay with Final Cut and Avid at NWN Studios.

Zach Directed and Shot "The Devil and Tom Walker" back in March....'08...I was coming off the Orbis shoot and roaring to get back in front of the camera...

Zach cast me as "The devil"...in his film...Holy Toledo ! I did not realize I was capable of such diabolical action...well...it's really in all of us...but if you're acting in a film...you can express it...without any repercussions !

Thanks Zach ...
Zach and I will be entering our films together in multiple film fests ...together as a sort of United Front of Mississippi writers/directors...more on Zach's film at this Blog ... www.thedevilandtomwalker.blogspot.com

This week we're getting in three days of editing...Wed ...Thurs and Fri....
we've been tweaking and changing a lot of things...should have a real idea of what the film looks like by the end of this week...

I got a chance to write this past weekend...in New Orleans...I sequester in CC's Coffee Shop Royal at St Phillip and write...I got in about 16 hrs toward the new script between Sat and Sunday... the 2nd draft is done...I am starting the pre-production right now...I have some of the main roles filled....using actors from Orbis...and will get the scripts out next week...

Saturius calls for reinforcements from the front....

The first rough edit is done ...it's been about a year that I've been working on the project...and what a great journey...thanks to everyone who has worked on it...first Lois...who believes in me...that is what makes all the difference...also...Heather...and David Allen...Austin and Matt...all the actors..and the set design folks...Jerel...and Mary...and here at the end...thanks the Zach Howell...for coming in to help me edit...the one thing I think I had not planned enough for as Producer....but ...I have learned a few lessons which I will remember going forward ...you've just gotta love this stuff in the end...making a movie...the love of it is what makes the difference...the passion for it is what gets you through it...anything for that matter I guess...Zach and I met back in March '08 ...he was doing his own film..."The Devil and Tom Walker"...and he cast me as "Old Scratch"...in that one..so we worked together...and he's about as crazy for this stuff as I have become...so it's to me sort of poetic that we are doing the final edit on my project together....

As a "producer" ...which I guess I have always been as the guy behind our daily TV Weather project....whether I realized it or not....it's in the end up to you...to get the product produced..and to market...despite the obstacles...and finally the last road block...the edit..is conquered....

The whole film making process is such a wonderful creative joy...writing...producing...and for me the greatest thing was being able to act...to find out that I could pull it out of myself....and really revel in it....it's like finding a piece of myself that I knew was missing ...from a creative standpoint...as a singer....i found a creative outlet...but was out of my element...as an actor...and film-maker I find a creative outlet within the context of the camera...which I have been working with from a different angle...ie the weather / news biz...for 20 years....

I think this first rough edit will take another month or so to finalize...and so we shall be ready to enter the film fest submission time frame in June or July...which means we will actually be in a fest in the Fall of '08 at the earliest...so that is the plan...

Meanwhile I am working on the next screenplay....this one set in medieval times...when the civilized kingdom discovers that a tribe of warrior elves are living deep in the forest...of course the mortals must act to destroy these "forest people'....the problem is that the tribe is comprised of immortal magicians...
Likely another short narrative film for the film fest circuit...I want to shoot this in the Fall of '08...possibly October...when it's cooler and we have fall foliage...
I plan to Direct this one ...and am thinking about Casting right now...I have about 25 pages done...so the first draft is complete...I will go thru a few re-writes till I am happy with it then start to pre-produce....I will be writing this weekend...

Orbis edit underway....

Great Caesar's Ghost ! After many delays...and a ton of frustration ...we are editing....low and behold the young man who asked me to act in his film short in March...Zachary Howell ..."The Devil and Tom Walker"...came in as the editor I needed... a film-maker and friend...who is passionate about making movies...

We are working on the edit using Final Cut Studio software ...on a Mac laptop...which is so amazing to me...cause we can move the edit anywhere...this past weekend it was an all day and all night edit in New Orleans...this week all Wednesday thru Thursday...

Zach already has his film edited...and we shot it in March...and it is a gas...He will do well in the festivals with 'The Devil and Tom Walker"

"Orbis" ...Opening part 1...with Ward Emling and Edward...rough edit

Here is the rough cut edit of the open..all the way thru to where Saturius departs on his mission...which we carry on in the next clip below Part 2....

This scene is where one of the allied German chiefs, "Segestes"...played by Ward Emling... comes to Saturius...who is retiring from the XVII Legion...and is to return to Rome to his family the following day....Segestes warns that he is hearing rumors that an ambush is being set up...a trap...set by Segestes own over zealous son-in-law "Arminius" (Hermann in German history...a German national hero)....
Segestes asks Saturius...who is an advance re-con soldier..a spy...or as the Romans called them an "Exploratore"....to delay his departure for home one more day...and
try to find out if this rumor of ambush is in fact true....and thus stop their General ...Quinctillius Varus...from marching thru the Tutenburg forest into the trap with the three Legions under his command...

"Orbis" ...Opening ...Part 2 ...rough edit

Here is the second part of the opening...I think the feeling of the film is coming thru...it's what I hoped we'd capture...a dark feeling...I used Wagner's
Siegfried's Funeral as the musical bed here...I found a rendition/ performance I could purchase the rights to ....Austin and I worked on the edit Thursday night till almost midnight.... Here we meet "Vespa"...played by David Cruz...i was so impressed with David from the outset ...when we did the auditions....he and I talked about the character...and I thought instantly I wanted him to play Vespa...he got it...and I think he brought Vespa to life in the film....

Editing again ...Thursday, March 27th

Austin and I will edit Thursday....in Tupelo....we are making progress now on the actual film as we have all the sound synced in and the different angles of each shot assembled....now we will have fun...I hope we'll be finished by end of April....

I posted the Opening Scene yesterday...could not control myself,
I have promised Austin that I will not post the whole film on the blog before it's out, but I wanted all of you to see what the feel of the film is like,it's very atmospheric and has the dark feel that I wanted, I've had a good response from everyone....thx.

Editing will continue this weekend 3-23-08

The editing goes on this weekend...and it is slowly coming together...
I have been keeping this blog since November '07...and as I look at it...I notice ..as has Lois...wow...what a change took place in me for the 6 months leading up to ..while writing the script...and trying to build up....and continuing thu the shoot....now I have a better understanding of the concept of getting into the role.....After it was all over...I sort of struggled with coming out of character...Saturius...my character...was hard to quit...I liked him...and I wanted
to stay there....but it's hard to walk around with a sword these days...and wear a red cape....but boy...what a great experience being him for that time....I look at these pictures and almost do not see myself....

I have a new role to play...that of "Old Scratch"...in "The Devil and Tom Walker"...which is shooting this week 3-17-08...it will be the first thing I have done since Orbis...and I did not write it...and Produce it....purely in it as an actor...which will be fun....it's another Mississippi film...for the film fest market in '08-'09......more on that...with pics next week after the shoot ....